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The proposal called for measures such as reuniting Korean Americans with their families in North Korea and appointing a special envoy for North Korean human rights issues

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen people to fill key foreign policy positions, including diplomatic, economic and intelligence posts. Some of them have been critical of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which could influence the possible use of sanctions and other measures. Click here for the full story in Spanish.

The Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China appointed Chen Hui as political commissar of the army and promoted him to the rank of senior general on Monday. However, former army political commissar Qin Shutong and three other senior generals were absent from the ceremony. Experts said the four might have been dismissed because of corruption issues, and that the incident might reveal power struggles within the Communist Party and the military. Click here for the full...

Official says it asked for a greater review of discrepancies in some of the data

Amid a continued surge in foreign exchange rates in Iran's market, the price of one U.S. dollar exceeded the 80,000-toman threshold on Thursday. Speaking to VOA, an economist remarked that "Iran's economy, under the management of the Islamic Republic, is incapable of safeguarding the nation's financial and capital assets," adding that "there is no safety net."  Click here for the full story in Persian.

Ko Wen-je, chairman of Taiwan's second-largest opposition party, the People’s Party, was indicted Thursday for allegedly accepting bribes and embezzling political donations during his tenure as mayor of Taipei four years ago. If convicted, he could face more than 28 years in prison. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia discuss cooperation and the challenges posed by external interventions

Human rights sources reported Thursday that Iran’s judiciary executed at least 10 prisoners, including two Afghan nationals, in the cities of Shiraz, Gonabad, Jiroft and Khorramabad. The new executions came amid international concern about the number of death sentences being carried out in the country.  Earlier this year, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, called for a reduction in the issuance of death sentences.  Click here for the full story in Persian.

The Kremlin completed preparations to isolate the Russian segment of the internet from the rest of the World Wide Web, experts told VOA Russian. The Kremlin may implement severe internet restrictions in 2025, mirroring Iran's experience of blocking undesirable web traffic. Experts note that YouTube speeds in Russia are 20% of the pre-war speeds, meaning that YouTube is essentially blocked in Russia. Click here for the full story in Russian.

Both Russia and Ukraine expanded the use of drones in 2024 as a relatively cheap means of warfare that requires an opponent to use a much more expensive air defense system. Moscow and Kyiv acquired 1.5 million drones between them in the past year, with Ukraine hitting thousands of targets inside Russia in recent months. Click here for the full story in Russian.  

An estimated 5% of global maritime traffic passes through Panama Canal

628-nautical-mile race will proceed as fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart, Australia

The crash killed 38 people and injured all 29 survivors

Thousands of workers are facing an unsettling reality heading into 2025. After years of working from the comfort of home, they're being told it’s time to return to the office full-time for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. We talk with Evan Starr a professor of management & organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Analysts, however, say Beijing’s military aggression will make it difficult for China and Japan to fundamentally reset their relationship

Five ex-USSR countries maintain military alliances with Russia. Moscow also is engaged in transactional military partnerships with China, Iran, India, and North Korea. By comparison, NATO has 32 members.

Different factions met this week, joined by officials from the U.S.-led coalition against IS

Analysts say strong congressional support and the track record of some of Trump’s foreign policy picks are likely to prevent any major changes in U.S.-Taiwan relations

The military has denied targeting civilians during the operation, saying it was based on thorough intelligence